Common Ground is committed to ensuring the privacy of individuals who engage with the company’s activities. This Privacy Policy explains how we use your personal information. This policy may change occasionally so please check this statement from time to time.

What information we collect

We may collect the following information:

· Name

· Contact information including email address

· Demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests

· Other information relevant to customer surveys

We collect personal information from you when you have provided that to us, through your subscription to our newsletter(s), referrals, contact forms and surveys, and any other forms that you may complete, as well as any e-mails that you send us.

Sometimes we require you to provide us with information for contractual or legal reasons, such as to process payment for services.

Cookies and websites

We use third party websites to securely process ticket sales, merchandise sales and newsletters. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

Our website user content is hosted and processed by GreenWeb, who detail their privacy policy for End Users here:https://www.greenwebhost.net/privacy.htm

Our website keeps track of usage data, such as the source address that the page request is coming from (i.e. your IP address, domain name), date and time of the page request, the referring website (if any) and other parameters in the URL (e.g. search criteria).

How we use cookies

A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.

We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about webpage traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.

Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.

You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.

What Common Ground N.I. does with your personal information

We use personal information that you give us to answer your enquiries, to provide you with information you have requested and provide you with a better service. We also use this information to better understand programme interest and participation so we know what activities, services and events participants (potential and actual) prefer. Evaluation feedback and reporting cannot be attributed to you as an individual.

In particular we collect information from you for the following reasons:

· Internal record keeping

· To improve our events and services

· To send you promotional emails about upcoming events and related opportunities

· From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email or phone. We may use the information to customise the website according to your interests.

We may use your personal information to keep you informed about all Common Ground activities and may contact you from time to time about these. If you have given us permission to do this, we may use your information to send you email bulletins and other email alerts.

We will also use your information for internal administration and analysis.

How long we will keep your personal information for

How long we keep data in a form which permits identification of data subjects depends on the services provided to you, and we won’t retain your personal information for any longer than is necessary for the purposes we need to use it for.

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. To prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

Childrens’ privacy

Common Ground occasionally runs events and activities that may be of interest to children, and their privacy is of the utmost importance to us. Any child under the age of 14 should always ask a parent or teacher for permission before making any type of online enquiry.

Who we share information with

We will not share any information we store about you with any third party without expressly seeking your permission. We do not sell information on our users to third parties.

Compliance with law

We will release personal information where we are required to by law or by the regulations and other rules (including auditing requirements) to which we are subject. We may also exchange information with other companies and organisations for fraud protection and credit risk reduction.

Your rights

You have the right to ask for a copy of the information held by us in our records in return for which we may charge a small fee. You also have the right to require us to correct any inaccuracies in your information.

Controlling your personal information

if you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to us at the above address or emailing us at info@commongroundni.org.

In addition, you can object to how we use your personal information. You can contact us or make a complaint to us (for instance, regarding our use of your personal data) by getting in touch by telephone on 07791 052472, by writing to us at the above address or emailing us at robbie@commongroundni.org , or you can make a complaint to the data protection supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office, at https://ico.org.uk

Use of photographs

Common ground sometimes takes images of our events and activities. Some of the resulting images are used on this website and in print to promote our events and our services. We take every measure to ensure the subjects of the photographs (or a parent/carer) grant permission for the image/s to be used by us at the time the photograph is taken. Should you believe that an image should not be used for any valid reason please contact us and we will remove it.

Consent

By disclosing your personal information to us by using this website or over the telephone, you consent to the collection, storage and processing of your personal information by Common Ground N.I. in the manner set out in this Privacy Policy.